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Ramblings from Retirement - Focus By Lee Hemen March 16, 2021 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalms 73:21-28 NIV) I was reminded this morning as I sat and did my devotion that what we focus on, whether in life or for the day, will impact how we live. Now I know this is not some great new truth but it reminded me to be more focused on what is important. These past several weeks several of my friends have lost family m...

The answer for an unsaved nation! - Matthew 10:1-15 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 27, 2019 We live in a time where it seems our Nation has lost its way. Young people do not know what to believe in and so tend not to believe anything or rather have others do their thinking for them. Free speech, honest debate, and simple social manners have gone to the wayside. A few radicals are driving the herd to the cliff of societal destruction. It is a time where Christian beliefs are dismissed and superstitions are rationalized. What is the answer for our Nation? Here in Matthew’s gospel he recorded how Jesus met the very same societal and national problems head on. Jesus knew he could never get the good news out unless others were willing to do so. It takes those who are willing to see their nation and world changed by the love of God armed with a plan and willing to do the hard work of saving a nation. These same principles can be applied to our Nation; let’s discover the answer for an unsaved na...

What to do when you are overwhelmed! - Matthew 9:35-38 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 20, 2019 Often when we feel overwhelmed we have a tendency want to crawl into a dark space and curl up and go to sleep. However one of the best things we can do is to seek the encouragement, comfort and help of others. It can be difficult to do because we tend to think that others would not understand what we are going through but this simply isn’t true. We can look at Jesus and how he responded when he felt overwhelmed. Jesus’ life has been exceedingly busy. From the “leper, the centurion’s servant, the mother-in-law of Peter, the dealings with the impulsive scribe and the hesitating disciple, the stilling of the storm and mastery of the unseen legions of evil, the forgiving of sin, and welcoming of repentant sinners, the healing of the chronic invalid by the way, the raising of the dead damsel, and the restoring of sight to the blind and speech to the dumb” we find Jesus doing the work of the kin...

How to treat others! – 1 Timothy 5:1-16 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 14, 2018 One hurdle a nonbeliever has to jump over is when “Christians” do not live like it. Paul had just gotten through writing Timothy to “Watch your life and doctrine closely” because he knew that a true faith results in a changed life. Believers are to act like Jesus. Remember believers are to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe”. (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV) How we treat others speaks volumes about our faith. Although Timothy was not to dwell on his youthfulness, he was to be mindful that he was still a young man; especially in dealing with folks who are older than himself, and also in his bearing towards young women. Paul begins with the treatment of older men and returns to it again later on. Between these two passages about men he gives directions for Timothy’s guidance respecting the women in his church, especia...

Setting aside! - 2 Corinthians 4:5-7; Philippians 2:1-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 10, 2016 Paul shared with his friend and mentor Timothy what he expected of those who wanted to become leaders within the church by telling him that they "must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap." (1 Timothy 3:2-7 NIV) All of these were in the present tense meaning that this is how they were to be at the moment of th...

Jesus saves when God selects! -- John 6:60-71 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 15, 2015 We often hear that hindsight is better than foresight, meaning that we know the past but not what the future brings in life. There are those who spend large sums of money in order to discover what the future holds. Houdini, the great escape artist and magician spent years debunking mediums and spiritist frauds that scammed innocent people of their hard-earned money. Houdini's training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics. He was a member of a Scientific American committee that offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully demonstrate supernatural abilities. None was able to do so, and the prize was never collected. Christians would do well to remember what God told the Israelites concerning such things, "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:31 N...

Mary: Unwavering focus! – Luke 10:38-42; John 12:1-8 By Pastor Lee Hemen May 20, 2012 AM In 1941, Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, was arrested by the Nazis and taken to Auschwitz for publishing “inappropriate” literature. In the horrific environment of the concentration camp, Father Kolbe ministered to his fellow prisoners. Then one day, after a prisoner had escaped, soldiers lined the men up and began selecting ten to die in the starvation bunker. When one prisoner was selected, he cried, “My wife and children! What will they do?” Hearing the man’s cry, Father Kolbe volunteered to die in his fellow prisoner’s place. The prisoner for whom Kolbe sacrificed himself survived Auschwitz. In fact, he lived another 53 years. However, he never tired of telling people what Father Kolbe had done for him. He stated that as long as he lived, he would consider it his duty to tell people everywhere about the heroic sacrifice Maximilian Kolbe had made for him. Shouldn’t believer...